Vexed and Glorious

Sunday, July 24, 2005

Freezepop

Freezepop is a Splashdown-related band that's a lot of fun. Kasson Crooker from Splashdown is The Duke of Pennekoeken in Freezepop. Also in the band are Liz Enthusiasm and The Other Sean T. Drinkwater. They formed in 1999 originally as a side project for Kasson while the Splashdown thing was still a possibility. Check out their official website for some news, music, pictures, etc. Their first album was released in 2001 and is called "Forever". "Fancy Ultra Fresh" came out last year and is an updated version of the new wave sounds of the '80s. Buy "Forever" or "Fancy Ultra Fresh".

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Zuco 103

Zuco 103 is a band based in the Netherlands, but features a Brazilian vocalist named Lilian Vieira. The other two members of the band are Stefan Kruger and Stefan Schmid. The two Stefans take care of drums and keyboards, respectively. The band released their debut in 2000 and it's entitled "Outro Lado". The music of the boys and Lilian's vocals work beautifully together. Their second release "Tales of High Fever" was released in 2002 and their latest release "Whaa" comes out on August 2nd. Check out their official site in English. I must admit, it's a terribly confusing format, but maybe you can get something out of it. Listen to a couple of interviews/performances on Morning Becomes Eclectic. Buy "Outro Lado", "Tales of High Fever" or pre-order "Whaa".

Sunday, July 17, 2005

RJD2

RJD2 is Ramble Jon Krohn. He was born in Oregon and makes mostly instrumental music with a hip-hop slant. He released his first album in 2002 entitled "Dead Ringer" to great critical acclaim. He followed up that record with "Since We Last Spoke" in 2004. Check out some videos and sounds on this site. The video for "1976" is particularly good. Comparisons have been made to DJ Shadow, who is definitely the definitive hip-hop instrumentalist, but RJD2 is one to watch. Buy "Dead Ringer" or "Since We Last Spoke".

Monday, July 11, 2005

B.C. Camplight

B.C. Camplight is Brian Christinzio and he's from Philadelphia, PA. He's 25 years old and his debut cd "Hide, Run Away" is being released tomorrow. His songs are fun pop and also strange which makes sense considering his bout with mental illness just a few years ago. Check out his official website. Buy the cd.

Saturday, July 02, 2005

Bell X1

Bell X1 was formed from the remains of Juniper, Damien Rice's first band. The band is comprised of four members, Paul Noonan, Brian Crosby, David Geraghty, and Dominic Philips. The purchase of Polygram by Seagram International is the cause of Juniper's breakup in 1999, but Bell X1 is a fine result of that debacle. Their newest album "Music in Mouth" comes out tomorrow and was produced by Nick Seymour of Crowded House, one of my favorite bands. Check out their official site for more info. Listen to their appearance on "Morning Becomes Eclectic". Buy "Neither Am I" or "Music in Mouth".

MuteMath

MuteMath is Paul Meany, Darren King and Greg Hill. They formed in New Orleans and have a great alternative rock sound. So far, they've only released an EP entitled "Reset", but it really shows promise. Their full-length record should be coming out sometime this year. Check out their official site for tour dates, news, etc. The official site bio talks about how MuteMath formed from the ashes of a band called Earthsuit. Check out a fan site that hosts mp3s and videos of the old and new band. Buy the EP.